For the third straight year, the top two seeds will square off in the CAA Tournament Final with the conference’s automatic bid on the line. Northeastern prevented UNC Wilmington from getting to the CAA Final for the third straight year with a resounding 79-52 win on Monday night.
The Seahwawks were able to keep it even for a little over 10 minutes, but the Huskies pulled away after that, outscoring their opponent 62-35 over the final 30 minutes of action.
For Northeastern, Vasa Pusica led the team once more. Pusica hit 50 percent from the floor and led Northeastern in scoring for the second straight night. He was able to get good looks from range, going 4-7 from beyond the arc and didn’t commit a single turnover either.
Shawn Occeus had a good night too as the team’s second-leading scorer, but the difference in this one was the Huskies defense.
After shooting the lights out the night before against Hofstra, Jordon Talley and the Seahawks couldn’t get much going against the Huskies. Talley had one of his worst nights of the season, going just 2-12 from the floor in the loss. It wasn’t much better for his teammates either, as UNC Wilmington shot less than 30 percent from the field altogether.
One of the few bright spots or the team was Devontae Cacok. Cacok was a double-double monster all season long and led the Seahawks in points and rebounds on the night.
Now, the Huskies will set their sights on Charleston, who defeated William &Mary 83-73 earlier in the day. These have been the two best teams in the CAA all season long, so it’s only fitting that they meet for all the marbles.
The Huskies are the hottest team in the conference right now with nine straight wins, but the Cougars got the better of them in both of their meetings earlier this season. Pusica struggled from the floor in both previous outings, and he will need to perform better if the third time is going to be the charm for the Huskies.
The CAA Championship Game will take place Tuesday, March 6, at 7 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
